Tarps for Shelter

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You guys with skeeter problems....nothing beats the ENO Bug Guardian. You can see it in my pictures on page one of this thread. Much better than a hammock with an attached bug net, though it does take up more room, as it is about the same size as the hammock packed. Another great item I learned about from Dave Canterbury. It is a must have in the summer, IMO.

Edit to add: Here's the pic with the Bug Guardian. My ENO Doublenest is inside. Entrance is a zipper on the side.

 

[panzertroop]

You sir are one hell of a guy, and I am proud to say that I know you, even if its just on the internet.

Actually he is a big jerk I camp with him all the time! But seriously Josh is good people. And like I am exclusive now with camping under tarps. I hate tents.

Here is my 10x12 two weeks ago. Josh hung that weekend, I was on the ground. I think he made the better choice.

Before:

After:

 

[texastonydobbs]

not really a problem as I have a hennessey hammock & a Eureka backcountry 1 tent , tarp is just a back up shelter if need be or for my gear if I take hammock only

hammock

tarp covering gear

Eureka backcountry

 

[C_Tanner]

I used this to cut some line for my hammock once.

Good thread...gotta keep the Moose happy as far as Becker content.....(photoshop guys, put a becker in this pic!)

 

[ocnLogan]

So I've been reading about all of these tarps and hammock shelters and I'm interested, but have some questions.

My wife is straight up refusing to do the whole tarp and sleeping bags thing (doesn't like the idea of bugs creeping all over her). But she is open to the idea of a hammock covered by a tarp.

My question then... is how does a hammock and tarp work for two people? Do you need a special hammock, or do you just set things up separately?

Any BeckerHead tips on getting your significant other to be ok with less stuff coming camping?

Oh, and for sure there is Becker content here .

 

[C_Tanner]

My Doublenest will hold two people. They make X-large, 2 person hammocks.

 

[MrKnifekid]

Alright logan...

Start her out with a largish tent. Say a 2 or so night trip.

then, the next trip, try a large hammock with tarp.

then, if she is okay with that, then you can try just the tarp. But make sure to have one of those sleeping pads like i have in the thread starter.

Got it buddy? I SAID GOT IT NOOB??

 

[ocnLogan]

My Doublenest will hold two people. They make X-large, 2 person hammocks.

Ok, so its not a "special" hammock, just a decent two person hammock will do then? And they're not insulated or anything fancy like that, its just throw your sleeping bags in cover with tarp and thats it?

She was just vaguely interested in this instead of our smallish tent that we're borrowing from her parents and I know basically nothing about hammocks. Thought that I would ask the experts.

And MKK, I GOT IT!!!

 

[One Legged Josh]

Napping, or relaxing during the day is fine with 2 people in a hammock. I would not recommend anyone ever to depend on one hammock and 1 tarp for two people. By midnight you will have rolled on your wife, been kicked in the nuts, elbowed her in the titty, and farted in her face.....If you survive the night without being kneed to death, you will realize in the morning that having her own hammock is a good thing. Trust me on this!

 

[MrKnifekid]

And MKK, I GOT IT!!!

Aww, you can do better than that,

Wuss.

 

[ocnLogan]

Napping, or relaxing during the day is fine with 2 people in a hammock. I would not recommend anyone ever to depend on one hammock and 1 tarp for two people. By midnight you will have rolled on your wife, been kicked in the nuts, elbowed her in the titty, and farted in her face.....If you survive the night without being kneed to death, you will realize in the morning that having her own hammock is a good thing. Trust me on this!

I was wondering about this, but earlier in this thread I noticed someone else (DerekH?) said that he did it, and was wondering if there was something fancy about doing this for two people.

So it sounds like you would choose to do two single hammocks and tarps instead?

PS... Josh, you almost made me bust up laughing in class just now. Just saying.

 

[MrKnifekid]

Logan, you're a wuss.

That is all.

 

[CCMI]

Cliff Jacobson might be the tarp wizard. He's got some great books out, my favorite is "The Forgotten Skills". Here's his website http://www.cliff-jacobson.com/ but you might be able to find some of his tarp setups on video somewhere. If you do, learn the knots he uses and you will use them all the time.

Thanks for the suggestions Derek and Trade.

I checked out his site, but didn't see that book listed (although there was a DVD version). Just ordered a used copy from the Jungle site for cheap.

 

[GingivitisKahn]

Ok, so its not a "special" hammock, just a decent two person hammock will do then? And they're not insulated or anything fancy like that, its just throw your sleeping bags in cover with tarp and thats it?

She was just vaguely interested in this instead of our smallish tent that we're borrowing from her parents and I know basically nothing about hammocks. Thought that I would ask the experts.

And MKK, I GOT IT!!!

I wouldn't think of sleeping two people in my ENO Doublenest. There are a few (very few) in hammock forums that routinely sleep double in a larger hammock but even they admit that just isn't for everyone. If you think you will be laying side by side - you're wrong. It can work if you are willing to sleep on your back all night while your partner sleeps on your chest (or the other way, I suppose) and that sounds all snugly and romantic until you try it for a bit.

By all means, try an ENO Doublenest (I use one for myself) or one of the other 'two-person' hammocks and see if she will / can nap with you - maybe you are one of the few.

A more typical method involves getting two hammocks and a large tarp. Find three trees about the right distance apart and tie the head ends of the hammocks to one tree and your foot end to one of the other trees and her foot end to the third - then rig the tarp over the both of you. You can always briefly share a hammock if the mood strikes to ... test dynamic tension and so forth.

Sleeping two to a hammock though - no thanks!

Here's a tarp stake I once whittled with my BK14...

---

Beckerhead #42

 

[NixKustoms]

I made my tarp. I need to add a couple more tie outs IMO. Good stuff here in this thread too. :thumbup:

Question:
Moose and Murph, I noticed, were talking about ponchos. Are you guys using these as tarps would be used or is it somethin else?

 

[paperairplane]

Sleeping double, definitely 2 hammocks 1 tarp.

I have one of the walmart $10 5*7 tarps - it's light and packs small, good for nice weather - I am thinking it may make a good gear hammock - hang it below my main hammock to keep my bag off the ground.

 

[Murphnuge]

I made my tarp. I need to add a couple more tie outs IMO. Good stuff here in this thread too. :thumbup:

Question:
Moose and Murph, I noticed, were talking about ponchos. Are you guys using these as tarps would be used or is it somethin else?

Standard GI poncho, but like I said it's small, but that's an advantage as well. Like Moose said, sometimes I'm impatient or have to move and the poncho is great for that too. Someone makes a XL GI poncho that'd be pretty sweet too.

 

[BushOgre]

 

[DerekH]

I was wondering about this, but earlier in this thread I noticed someone else (DerekH?) said that he did it, and was wondering if there was something fancy about doing this for two people.

So it sounds like you would choose to do two single hammocks and tarps instead?

PS... Josh, you almost made me bust up laughing in class just now. Just saying.

Uh no. The missus has her hammock, I got mine. Never would I even try to sleep in the same hammock with that amazon. Would be disastrous.

 

[C_Tanner]

Picked up a new tarp yesterday. WalMart (surprisingly) has had some good 10mil Brown tarps for relatively cheap...about $10 for an 8X10, which is plenty big for a hammock. Most cheap blue tarps are 3-5mil thick. I've have these brown 10mil tarps before, and they hold up nicely.